Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972),[1] known professionally as E

minem (often stylized as EMIN?M), is an American rapper, record producer, and ac

tor. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. Throug
hout his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five n
umber-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. With US sales of 45.1 million albums
and 42 million tracks as of June 2014, Eminem is the second best-selling male a
rtist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, the sixth best-selling artist in the United
States and the best-selling hip-hop artist. Globally, he has sold more than 172
million albums, thus being one of the world's best-selling artists. Rolling Ston
e ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him t
he King of Hip Hop.
After his debut album Infinite (1996) and the Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signe
d with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream po
pularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award
for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2
002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified diamo
nd in U.S. sales, and both winning Best Rap Album Grammy Awards making Eminem the
first artist to win the award for three consecutive LPs. They were followed by E
ncore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus af
ter touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010. Both won Gr
ammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the secon
d time he had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem
Show). Eminem's eighth album, 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, won two Grammy
Awards, including Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in th
at category and his Grammy total to 15.
In addition to his solo career, Eminem is an original member of the Midwest hip
hop groups Soul Intent and D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fel
low Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Me
ets Evil. Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, with man
ager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent.
Eminem has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In N
ovember 2002, he starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile, which won the Academy Award
for Best Original Song, for "Lose Yourself", becoming the first rap artist to w
in the award.[2] Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001),
Funny People (2009), The Interview (2014) and the television series Entourage (
2010).

The rapper has voiced the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof (as an aging, corrupt,
Ebonics-speaking police officer) and guested on the Comedy Central television s
how Crank Yankers and a Web cartoon, The Slim Shady Show (currently available on
DVD).[162] He was signed to star in an unmade film version of Have Gun Will Tra
vel,[163] and was considered for the role of David Rice in the 2008 film Jumper.
[164] Eminem had a cameo appearance, arguing with Ray Romano, in the 2009 film F
unny People.
He played himself in the Entourage season-seven finale "Lose Yourself" with Chri
stina Aguilera.[165] Although Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 scien
ce-fiction film Elysium, he turned it down because director Neill Blomkamp would
not change its location from Los Angeles to Detroit.[166] The rapper had a came
o appearance as himself in the 2014 film, The Interview. During an interview wit
h the main character, Dave Skylark (James Franco), Eminem satirically comes out
as homosexual.[167]
Memoirs
Eminem's autobiography, The Way I Am, was published October 21, 2008. Detailing
his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak and depression, it includes
stories of his rise to fame, commentary about past controversies and original ly
ric sheets from "Stan" and "The Real Slim Shady".[168] An autobiography of the r
apper's mother (My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem) was published the following mont
h, in which Debbie Nelson describes her childhood and adolescence, meeting Emine
m's father and her son's rise to (and struggles with) fame.
Advertising and charity
Eminem appeared in two commercials which were shown during Super Bowl XLV. In th
e first, a one-minute spot for Lipton's Brisk iced tea, the rapper is a claymati
on figure.[169] In the second, a two-minute ad the longest in Super Bowl history
at the time for the Chrysler 200, Eminem drives through Detroit (with "Lose You
rself" as the soundtrack) to his show at the Fox Theatre.[170][171]
He established the Marshall Mathers Foundation to aid disadvantaged youth. The f
oundation works in conjunction with a charity founded by Norman Yatooma, a Detro
it attorney.[172]
Artistry
Influences and rapping technique
Eminem has cited several MCs as influencing his rapping style, including Esham,[
173] Kool G Rap,[174] Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane,[174] Newcleus, Ice-T, Mantronix
, Melle Mel (on "The Message"), LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run D.M.C., Rakim and Boo
gie Down Productions.[175] In How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studi
ed other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and t
hat's what made him one of the greats".[176] In the book, other MCs also praise
aspects of his rapping technique; varied, humorous subject matter,[177] connecti
ng with his audience,[178] carrying a concept over a series of albums,[179] comp
lex rhyme schemes,[180] bending words so they rhyme,[181] multisyllabic rhymes,[
174] many rhymes to a bar,[182] complex rhythms,[183] clear enunciation[184] and
the use of melody[185] and syncopation.[186] Eminem is known to write most of h
is lyrics on paper (documented in The Way I Am), taking several days or a week t
o craft lyrics,[187] being a "workaholic"[188] and "stacking" vocals.[189]
Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his songs for different rapping styles and subject mat
ter. His best-known alter ego, Slim Shady, first appeared on the Slim Shady EP.
In this persona his songs are violent and dark, with a comic twist.[190] Eminem
downplayed Slim Shady on Recovery because he felt it did not fit the album's the
me.[191] Another character is Ken Kaniff, a homosexual who pokes fun at Eminem's
songs. Ken was created and originally played by fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle
on the Slim Shady LP, where Kaniff makes a prank call to Eminem. An argument af
ter the album's release prompted Eminem to use the Kaniff character on Marshall
Mathers and later albums (except Encore and Recovery). Aristotle, angry with Emi
nem's use of his character, created a mixtape in his Kaniff persona ridiculing t
he rapper.[citation needed]
Collaborations and productions
See also: Eminem production discography and Eminem discography Guest appearances
Although Eminem usually collaborates with Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Reco
rds rappers such as Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice and Yelawolf, he has also
worked with Redman, Kid Rock, DMX, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Jay Z, Drake, Rihan
na, Nicki Minaj, Xzibit, Method Man, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Sticky Fingaz, T.I. and
Young Jeezy. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes' "Touch
It" remix at the June 27, 2006 BET Music Awards. He appeared on Akon's single "
Smack That" from Konvicted, Lil Wayne's hit "Drop the World", and "My Life" (the
lead single from 50 Cent's Street King Immortal).
Eminem was the executive producer of D12's first two albums (Devil's Night and D
12 World), Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me and 50 Cent's Get Rich o
r Die Tryin' and The Massacre.[192] He has produced songs for other rappers, suc
h as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renegade" and "Moment of Clarity",
 Lloyd Banks' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2" and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Set
ter", Trick-Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Appro
ach Me".[193] Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem and his longtime co
llaborator, Jeff Bass,[194] and the rapper co-produced Encore with Dr. Dre. In 2
004 Eminem was co-executive producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Gam
e with Shakur's mother, Afeni.[195] He produced the UK number-one single "Ghetto
Gospel", featuring Elton John,[196] "The Cross" from the Nas album God's Son[19
7] and eight tracks on Obie Trice's 2006 Second Round's on Me (also appearing on
"There They Go").[198] The rapper produced several tracks on Trick-Trick's The
Villain (appearing on "Who Want It"),[199] and produced four tracks on Cashis' 2
013 album The County Hound 2.
Eminem is considered unusual in structuring his songs around the lyrics, rather
than writing to beats.[200] One exception was "Stan", which came from an idea an
d scratch track produced by the 45 King.[200] After doing little production on R
elapse and Recovery, Eminem produced a significant portion of The Marshall Mathe
rs LP 2. He said about producing his own music, "Sometimes, I may get something
in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not
always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have
made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, w
ith diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and w
ant to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."[201]
Comparisons with other artists
As a lyricist and a white performer prominent in a genre influenced by black art
ists, Eminem has been compared to Bob Dylan.[202] Rapper Asher Roth has been com
pared to Eminem, and Roth devoted a song on his album ("As I Em") to him.[203] T
he accomplished trumpet player Nicholas Payton has called Eminem "the Bix Beider
becke of hip hop".[204]
Eminem and Christian hip hop artist KJ-52 have been compared to each other, with
KJ-52 called his "Christian counterpart".[205] KJ-52's single, "Dear Slim", was
controversial with Eminem fans when it appeared on Total Request Live. Although
he said the song was not intended to be disrespectful,[206] KJ-52 received hate
mail and the song was number 26 on VH1's Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop list.[
207]
Personal life
Family
Eminem has been scrutinized, as a rapper and personally.[31] The rapper was marr
ied twice to Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott. He met Kim in high school; he was 15 and
she was 13 when he stood on a table with his shirt off rapping LL Cool J's "I'm
Bad".[208] Kim and her twin sister Dawn had run away from home; they moved in w
ith Eminem and his mother when he was 15, and he began an on-and-off relationshi
p with Kim in 1989. Their daughter Hailie was born on December 25, 1995; they ma
rried in 1999, divorcing in 2001. Although Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2002, "I
would rather have a baby through my penis than get married again", he and Kim b
riefly remarried in January 2006. He filed for divorce in early April,[209] agre
eing to joint custody of Hailie.[210] He also has custody of Dawn's daughter Ala
ina[211] and Whitney, Kim's daughter from another relationship.[212][213] In ear
ly 2010, Eminem denied tabloid reports that he and Kim had reconciled.[214] He h
ad legal custody of his younger half-brother Nathan, who is a rapper known by hi
s stage name "Nate Kane".[215][216] In his 2014 song "Headlights", Eminem apolog
ized to, and reiterated his love for, his mother.[217]
Legal problems
In 1999 Eminem's mother sued him for about $10 million for slandering her on The
Slim Shady LP, receiving about $1,600 in damages in 2001.[218] On June 3, 2000,
Eminem was arrested during an altercation with Douglas Dail at a car-audio stor
e in Royal Oak, Michigan, when he pulled out an unloaded gun and pointed it at t
he ground. The next day, in Warren, Michigan, he was arrested again for assaulti
ng John Guerrera in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Caf when he saw him kissing h
is wife.[219][220] Eminem recreated the Guerrera assault in "The Kiss (Skit)" on
The Eminem Show. The rapper was charged for a possession of a concealed weapon
and assault, pleaded guilty and received two years' probation; Guerrera's assaul
t charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.[221] On July 7, 2000, Kim at
tempted suicide, slashing her wrists,[222] and later sued Eminem for defamation
after he described her violent death in "Kim".[220]
On October 26, 2000, the rapper was scheduled to perform at Toronto's SkyDome wh
en Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty said that Eminem should not be allowed
to enter the country. "I personally don't want anyone coming to Canada who will
come here and advocate violence against women", he said. Flaherty said he was "d
isgusted" when he read the lyrics of "Kill You", which includes the lines "Slut,
you think I won't choke no whore / Till the vocal cords don't work in her throa
t no more?" Although public reaction to Flaherty's position was generally negati
ve, with barring Eminem from the country considered a free-speech issue, Liberal
MPP Michael Bryant suggested that hate crime charges be brought against the rap
per for advocating violence against women in his lyrics.[223] Robert Everett-Gre
en wrote in a Globe and Mail editorial, "Being offensive is Eminem's job descrip
tion",[224] and the rapper's Toronto concert went on as planned.[225]
Sanitation worker DeAngelo Bailey sued Eminem for $1 million in 2001, accusing h
im of invading his privacy by publicizing information placing him in a false lig
ht in "Brain Damage", a song which portrays him as a violent school bully. Altho
ugh Bailey admitted picking on Eminem in school, he said he merely "bumped" him
and gave him a "little shove". The lawsuit was dismissed on October 20, 2003; Ju
dge Deborah Servitto, who rapped the verdict, ruled that it was clear to the pub
lic that the lyrics were exaggerated.[226]
On June 28, 2001, Eminem was sentenced to one year's probation and community ser
vice and was fined about $2,000 on weapon charges stemming from an argument with
an employee of Psychopathic Records.[227]
On March 31, 2002, French jazz pianist Jacques Loussier filed a $10 million laws
uit against Eminem and Dr. Dre, claiming that the beat for "Kill You" was from h
is instrumental "Pulsion".[228] Loussier demanded that sales of The Marshall Mat
hers LP be halted, and any remaining copies destroyed. A trial date was set for
June 2004, and the case was later settled.[229]
On December 8, 2003 the United States Secret Service reported that it was "looki
ng into" allegations that Eminem threatened President George W. Bush[230] in "We
As Americans" (an unreleased bootleg at the time), with the lyrics: "Fuck money
, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead, it's never
been said but I set precedents." The incident was included in the video for "Mo
sh", as a newspaper clipping on a wall with articles about unfortunate incidents
in Bush's career. "We As Americans" eventually appeared on Encore's deluxe-edit
ion bonus disc, with altered lyrics.
In 2007 Eminem's music-publishing company (Eight Mile Style) and Martin Affiliat
ed sued Apple Inc. and Aftermath Entertainment, claiming that Aftermath was not
authorized to negotiate a deal with Apple for digital downloads of 93 Eminem son
gs on Apple's iTunes.[231][232] The case against Apple was settled shortly after
the trial began, in late September 2009.[233]
In July 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in
F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records that F.B.T. Productions and Eminem
were owed a royalty of 50 percent of Aftermath's net revenue from licensing his
recordings to companies such as Apple, Sprint Corporation, Nextel Communications
, Cingular and T-Mobile. In March 2011, the Supreme Court of the United States d
eclined to hear the case.[234]
In October 2013, Eminem sampled Chicago-based rap group Hotstylz's 2008 viral hi
t, "Lookin' Boy", for his 2013 hit single, "Rap God". The group claims that Emin
em did not receive permission to use the sample, nor did he credit or compensate
them.[235] In November 2013, Hotstylz released a diss track towards Eminem titl
ed "Rap Fraud", where they sample several of his songs and criticize him for not
crediting them.[236][237] In January 2015, TMZ reported that Hotstylz was suing
the rapper and his label, Shady Records, for the amount of $8 million, for usin
g the 26 second sample of "Lookin' Boy" on his song "Rap God", without their per
mission.[238][239]
Drug problems
Eminem has spoken about his addiction to prescription drugs, including Vicodin,
Ambien and Valium.[240] According to friend and fellow D12 member Proof, Eminem
first "sobered up" in 2002.[241] During the production of 8 Mile, the rapper, wo
rking 16 hours a day, developed insomnia. An associate gave him an Ambien tablet
which "knocked [him] out", encouraging him to obtain a prescription. This was E
minem's first experience of drug addiction, which would affect him for several y
ears. Near the end of production on Encore, he would "just go into the studio an
d goof off [with] a pocketful of pills". Eminem began taking the drugs to "feel
normal", taking a "ridiculous amount [...] I could consume anywhere from 40 to 6
0 Valium [in a day]. Vicodin, maybe 30". The drugs would put him to sleep for no
more than two hours, after which he would take more. The rapper's weight increa
sed to 230 pounds (100 kg), and he was regularly eating fast food: "The kids beh
ind the counter knew me it wouldn't even faze them. Or I'd sit up at Denny's or
Big Boy and just eat by myself. It was sad". Eminem became less recognizable due
to his weight gain, and once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or n
ot it was he: "Eminem ain't fat."[14]
In December 2007 he was hospitalized after a methadone overdose. Eminem had firs
t bought methadone from a dealer who had told him it was "just like Vicodin, and
easier on [your] liver". The rapper continued to buy more, until he collapsed i
n his bathroom one night and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors there told him
he had ingested the equivalent of four bags of heroin and was "about two hours f
rom dying". After missing Christmas with his children, Eminem checked himself ou
t of the facility weak and not fully detoxed. He tore the meniscus in his knee a
fter falling asleep on his sofa, requiring surgery; after he returned home, he h
ad a seizure. His drug use "ramped right back to where it was before" within a m
onth. Eminem began to attend church meetings to get clean, but after he was aske
d for autographs he sought help from a rehabilitation counselor. He began an exe
rcise program which emphasized running. Elton John was a mentor during this peri
od, calling Eminem once a week to check on him.[14]
Homophobia charges
Some of Eminem's lyrics have been considered homophobic, and an Australian polit
ician attempted to ban him from the country.[242] Eminem denies the charge, sayi
ng that when he was growing up words such as "faggot" and "queer" were used gene
rally in a derogatory manner and not specifically toward homosexuals. During a 6
0 Minutes interview, journalist Anderson Cooper explored the issue:[243]
Cooper: Some of the lyrics, like, you know, in the song "Criminal" you say "My w
ords are like a dagger with a jagged edge, That'll stab you in the head, whether
you're a fag or lez, Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest, Pants or dress ha
te fags? The answer's 'yes'".
Eminem: Yeah, this scene I came up in. That word was thrown around so much, you
know, "faggot" was like thrown around constantly to each other, like in battling
.
Cooper: Do you not like gay people?
Eminem: No, I don't have any problem with nobody. You know what I mean? I'm just
 like whatever.
The rapper is a friend of Elton John.[244] When The New York Times asked him of
the legalization of same-sex marriage in Michigan, Eminem replied: "I think if t
wo people love each other, then what the hell? I think that everyone should have
the chance to be equally miserable, if they want",[245] adding that his "overal
l look on things is a lot more mature than it used to be".[246]
Several years later, Eminem was accused yet again of using homophobic words in h
is lyrics, and explained "I don't know how to say this without saying it how I'v
e said it a million times. But that word, those kind of words, when I came up ba
ttle-rappin' or whatever, I never really equated those words..."[247]
Mental illness
In the book My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, his mother stated that he has strugg
led with manic depression throughout his life. She said it worsened after his ex
-wife Kim Mathers gave birth to their daughter Hailie.[248]
Legacy
Large graffiti picture of a serious-looking Eminem
Eminem graffiti in Shanghai
Eminem artwork in Southsea Skatepark
Eminem is considered one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. He was 83r
d on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time[249][250] and 79th on the
VH1 100 Greatest Artists of All Time lists.[251] In 2010, MTV Portugal ranked Em
inem the seventh-biggest icon in pop-music history.[252] However, there are some
people still question his place in hip hop culture being that he is white despi
te his success.[253]
He is the bestselling artist from 2000 to 2010 on the US Nielsen SoundScan;[254]
with estimated worldwide album sales of over 172 million, Eminem is one of the
best-selling musical artists in the world. The rapper has over seven billion vie
ws of his music videos on his YouTube Vevo page.[255] In 2010 Eminem's music gen
erated 94 million streams (more than any other musical artist),[256] and in May
2014 Spotify called him the most-streamed artist of all time. According to Billb
oard, two of Eminem's albums are among the top-five bestselling albums from 2000
to 2010. "Love the Way You Lie" (11 platinum) and "Not Afraid" (10 platinum) are
certified diamond by the RIAA, making him the first artist with two digital diam
ond-certified songs in the US.[257] In the UK, Eminem has sold over 12.5 million
records.[258] As of June 2014, Eminem is the second-bestselling male artist of
the Nielsen SoundScan era, the sixth-bestselling artist in the United States and
the bestselling hip-hop artist, with sales of 45.1 million albums and 42 millio
n tracks (including 31 million digital single certifications).[259][260][261][26
2] Eminem has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200: seven solo (five o
riginal albums and two compilations), two with D12 and one with Bad Meets Evil.[
263] The Eminem Show, The Marshall Mathers LP, and Encore were ranked the third-
, seventh- and fortieth-bestselling albums of the 2000 2009 decade, respectively,
by the magazine.[264][265] The rapper has had 13 number-one singles worldwide. E
minem has been credited of rising the careers of rap proteges such as, 50 Cent,
Yelawolf, Stat Quo, Royce da 5'9", Cashis, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater, and rap
groups such as D12 and Slaughterhouse.
In August 2011 Eminem was called the King of Hip-Hop by Rolling Stone, which ana
lyzed album sales, R&B, hip-hop and rap chart positions, YouTube views, social m
edia, concert grosses, industry awards and critical ratings of solo rappers who
released music from 2009 to the first half of 2011.[266] His second major-label
album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was the fastest-selling solo album in US history
[30] and was ranked one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time by Rolling St
one, Time and XXL.[267] Rolling Stone ranked it the seventh-best album of the fi
rst decade of the 21st century.[268] The album's third single ("Stan") is one of
 Eminem's most critically acclaimed songs, with Pitchfork Media calling it "a cu
ltural milestone".[269]
A number of artists have cited Eminem as an influence, including The Weeknd,[270
] Crooked I, Tech N9ne, Logic, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, T.I., B.o.B, Jhen Aiko, 50
Cent,[271] Usher,[272] Earl Sweatshirt, Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar,
[273] Ed Sheeran,[274][275] Lana Del Rey,[276] Big Sean,[277] J. Cole,[278] Skyl
ar Grey,[279] Bubba Sparxxx,[280] Asher Roth,[281] Machine Gun Kelly,[282] Yelaw
olf,[283] Hopsin,[284] Tyler, The Creator,[285] Hollywood Undead,[286] Kiiara,[2
87] Chris Webby,[288] Chance the Rapper[289] Stalley, Royce da 5'9", Joe Budden,
Tony Yayo, and The Game.[290]
Rappers David Banner,[291] Wiz Khalifa,[292] Talib Kweli,[253] Kool G. Rap,[293]
Redman,[294] Kurupt, Dr. Dre, N.O.R.E., Rakim, Busta Rhymes and Jay Z have each
called Eminem one of the greatest rappers of all time.[295]